Bottle carrier



Oct. 26, 1954 M. H. KOWAL 2,692,700

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed June 16, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l W I I nli a; 1 [I'Mv crazy S Oct. 26, 1954 M. H. KOWAL 2,692,700

I BOTTLE CARRIER Filed June 16, 1948 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 2294 Z3. ./4 Jr257.4 246 A 255A I 228A) 222-4 -224A 223A Q @244 WL florr? eyafrzverzzor Patented Oct. 26, 1954 BOTTLE CARRIER Michael H. Kowal,Clifton, N. J assignor to Empire Box Corporation, Garfield, N. J acorporation of Delaware Application June 16, 1948, Serial No. 33,368

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to bottle carriers and particularly to:pro-formed collapsible bottle carriers made from cardboard or like sheetmaterial.

In bottle carriers of he aforesaid character, it has been quite commonto form such carriers from. cardboard or like sheet material and to soform and arrange the elements of such carriers that they may bemanufactured and shipped in a; flat or collapsed form and may be erectedat the time when bottles are to be loaded therein.

Such bottle carriers have taken many different forms, and in attainingthe collapsible characteristic without sacrifice of cardboard material,it has been found that the resulting carriers are inmanyinstances madeup of weight supporting members that are of relatively small crosssectional area so that the carriers do not stand up well in, use. Thishas in effect limited the useful life. of many such bottle carriers to asingle use or bottle carrying trip, and as a practical matter it isdesirable in bottle carriers of this general character to attain astructure which will function in. several bottle carrying trips. Thisnot only reduces the ultimate cost of such carriers, but also is amarked convenience to the purchaser since he may make use of the carrierin storing as well as in returning the empty bottles to the store.

Another characteristic that is highly desirable in collapsible bottlecarriers made from cardboard or like material is the attainment of asmall or minimum overall dimension in the carrier insofar as theplan-form may be concerned, for the attainment of such a small size inplanform enables such bottle carriers to be disposed in the bottlecarrying cases of conventional size. In many instances, such carriersare mounted in the case and are then loaded by conventional case loadingmachinery, and in addition to the attainment of the small plan-form, itis desirable where case loading machinery is to be thus used, to havethebottle separating and enclosing walls normally disposed in a verticalposition so that the bottle loading or inserting operations may beperformed without deforming or bending of the cardboard material.

Bottle carriers have the past been constructed so as to accomplish theabove described advantageous functions, but in attaining such narrowwalls and bottle separating elements between the. several bottlereceiving spaces, it has been necessary to resort either to angularlyextended bottle separating arms or webs, or to resort to a steppedrelationship of the webs so that the carrier is not of a symmetricalform. In other instances where eiforts have been made to avoid the useof angular arms or webs, or the necessity for such a steppedarrangement, resort has been to different two-piece constructions whichwere difficult and costlytomanufacture.

(Cl. 220-1l3) In view of the foregoing, it is the primary ob-- ject ofthe present invention to enable the desirable characteristics abovediscussed to be attained in a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrierthatis simple and economical in its construction, and which is quiterugged in its structural characteristics so as to enable the carrier tobe used on several bottle transporting trips. More specifically, it isan object of the present invention to enable such a preformedcollapsible bottle carrier to be made from a single one-piece blankwithout the necessity for utilizing angularly related bottle separatingelements and without employing complicated structure for affording thebottle separating webs or straps.

It is also an important object of the present invention to enable theprimary elements of the handle in such a pro-formed collapsible bottlecarrier to be disposed above the level of the major portion of the sidewalls of the carrier, and a related object is to afford a simple andrugged weight transmitting connection between the end portions of such ahandle and the end walls or panels of such a carrier.

Other and further objects of the present invention are to afford abottle carrier of the kind wherein the handle section is offsetlaterally from the side wall sections of the blank when the carrier isin its collapsed relation, and to enable this to be accomplished in astructure wherein the weight or force transmission through the elementsof the carrier places only those elements under substantial stress thatare of a relatively heavy and rugged construction. More specifically, itis an object of the present invention to enable a carrier in whichvertically disposed bottle separating elements extend in a horizontaldirection and in which the handle sect-ion is offset laterally from thesidewalls when the carrier is collapsed, to be constructed from a singleonepiece blank merely through the performance of a series of cutting,folding and gluing or other fastening operations.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferredembodiments and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be thebest mode in which I have contemplated applying those principles. Otherembodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principlesmay be used and structural changes may be made as desired by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the present invention and thepurview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a bottle carrier embodying the featuresof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of. the erected carrier;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the erected carrier showing the positionsoccupied by the bottles in the carrier;

Fig. 4 is a face view of what may be termed inside face of the blankutilized in constructing the bottle carrier of Figs. 1 to 3:

Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, are views of the blank showing the successivefolding and gluing steps that are performed in the construction of thecarrier;

Fig. 9 is a face vie-w of the carrier in its collapsed relationship;

Fig. 10 is an end view of the carrier in its collapsed relation;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the carrier in a partially erected condition;

Fig. 12 is an end view of the carrier in the same partially erectedcondition;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line I3-I3 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13A is a face view similar to Fig. 9 and showing anotheralternative embodiment;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary face view of a portion of the blank utilized inproducing an alternative embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 15 is a perspective of the carrier embodying such alternative formof the invention and made from the blank that is fragmentally shown inFig. 14.

For purposes of disclosure, the invention is herein illustrated in Figs.1 to 13 as embodied in a bottle carrier that is adapted to receive sixbottles B in two parallel rows of three bottles each. The carrier 2B ismade from cardboard or like sheet material to embody, when erected,upstanding side walls 2IA and ZIB that are connected at opposite ends bythe end walls 22 and 23, these end walls being made up in each instanceof two foldably related panels 22A and 22B and 23A and 233. The loweredges of the two side walls 2 IA and 2 1B are connected by bottom panels24A. and MB that are foldably connected to the lower edges of such sidewalls and are foldably related to each other along a central linedisposed midway between the two side walls 2IA and 2IB. Disposed in aplane that is midway between the two side walls 2 IA and 2IB anupstanding handle 25 is aiforded in which a finger receiving opening 26and a cushioning flap 2'! are formed in the usual manner.

The handle 25 is connected to the end walls 22 and 23 through the mediumof riser members 28 and 29 that serve, as will hereinafter be described,to connect the adjacent edges of the panels that form these two endwalls, and the riser members 28 and 29 extend upwardly into positionbetween panels 25A and 253 that afford the handle 25. The riser members28 and 29 are disposed relatively close to the end walls of the carrierand serve as bottle separating members between the end bottles in theadjacent rows.

The bottles in each row are separated by separating bars that extendbetween the side walls and the handle 25 at substantially the one-thirdpoints along the carrier, and these separating bars are pivotallyconnected along vertical axes to the handle 25 and the respective sidewalls. Thus, each of the side walls has an upward extension in themiddle one-third thereof, the extension being identified as IZIA on thewall 2 IA and as I2 IE on the wall 2H3. Each such extension I2 5A andIZlB is formed in an integral and uncreased relationship with respect tothe related side wall, and as shown in Fig. l of the drawings,

a separating bar 3IB extends from one end edge of the extension of IZIBto the related point along the lower edge of the handle 25, while aseparating bar 323 extends from the other vertical end edge of theextension 12 IE to the related point at the lower edge of the handle 25.Similar separating bars 3 EA and 32A serve to connect the opposite endedges of the extension I2 IA with the handle 25, thereby to divide eachside portion of the carrier into a row of three bottle receivingopenings, each of which is defined by narrow vertical edges ofvertically disposed portions of the cardboard material.

It should be observed that the separating bars 32A and 32B are pivotallyconnected to integral portions of the lower portion of the handle 25 aswill hereinafter be described in detail, while the inner ends of theseparating bars SIA and 3IB are connected to joining panels 33A and 333,respectively, that are secured in position between the handle panels 25Aand 253 so that a relatively rigid mounting portion of such joiningpanels projects downwardly below the lower edge of the handle panels toafford the desired vertical pivotal axes for the inner ends of theseparating bars 3IA and 3IB.

In producing the carrier 20 that is shown in Fig. l in its erectedcondition, a blank is made from cardboard or like material in the formillustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. In this blank, the two bottompanels 24A and 24B are joined together along a central longitudinal foldline 0, and the side wall 21A is joined to the opposite edge of thebottom panel 24A along a fold line 4 IA. At the right hand end of theside wall 2 IA, the end panel 23A is joined along a fold line 42A, whileat the other end of the side wall 2IA, the end panel 22A is joined alonga fold line d3A. The riser panels 28A and 29A are joined respectivelyalong other edges of the end panels 22A and 23A by fold lines 44A and45A, and it will be noted that the fold lines 42A, 43A, MA and 45A areall parallel. The extension l2 EA is, of course, formed in an integraland uncreased relationship along the other or upper edge of the sidewall 2 IA, and the separating bar BIA is connected along a vertical foldline 46A to one end of the extension I2 IA, while the other separatingbar 32A is connected along a vertical fold line MA to the other end ofthe extension of I2 IA. It will be observed that the separating bars 3IAand 32A are, in the blank, disposed adjacent to the upper edges of theside wall HA, and a slit 49A extended from the lower end of the foldline 46A to the upper end of the fold line 43A parallel to the lowerfold line MA serves to physically separate the adjacent edges of theside wall 2 EA and the separating bar 3 IA. Similarly, a slit 50Aextends from the lower end of the fold line A to the upper end of thefold line 12A, thereby to physically separate the adjacent edges of thebar 32A and the side wall 2 IA. The handle panel 25A is in efiect oifsetto the right in the blank from the side wall 2 IA, and a slit 5IAextended from the upper end of the fold line 46A and to the right inFig. 4. serves to separate the handle panel 25A from the upper edge ofthe extension IZIA and from the upper edge of the separating bar 32A.The slit 5IA terminates at the upper end of a fold line 52A which isaligned with the fold line 62A, and this fold line 52A serves to connectthe other or inner end of the bar 32A to a connecting extension 53Awhich extends downwardly below the lower edge of the handle 25A as suchedge is defined by the slit 5IA. The downward extension 53A is de- 5.fined at its: lower edge by slit 541% which extends from the upper endof the fold line 42A to the fold line 4523-. In: the present instancethis slit WA extends from the adjacent end of the slit 51min an upwardangular directiomthus to de fine a sl'opi'ng upper edge for the endpanel 23A. It will be: observed that. the fold line 45A that connectsthe end panel 23A with: the: riser panel 29A extends upwardly asatMhmbeyond the adjaeent. end of. the slitv 54A,. thereby to pivotallyconnect the riser panel 29A with. the right hand edge of the handlepanelled as: viewed in Fig; 4.

securing. panel. 33A. is disposed, in part, above the? end panel. 22Aasiui'ewed. in Fig. 4;. and. a sloping: slit. 55A, corresponding to theslit MA at the; other side. or the blank; extends: from. the upperend.of the fold lineMA to the-upper end? or therfoldaline 44A,. and a slit55A extends from the left hand end: of. the slit 55A. upwardly" inalignment with the: fold line. MA so as to completelysever the securingpanel. 331%: from. the riser panel. 23A. The securing pan-e1 33A thushas a; downward extension portion similar to the extension 53A,. andthis extension is connectedalong" a fold' line. E'BA tothe other orinner endof the separating. bar (ii-A. As. will be evident Fig. 4,thesecuring panel 33A has an extended portion I 33A disposed immediatelyabove a portion of the bar 3M; anda slit. 53A: that is parallel to theslit 49A, extends to the right from the-upper end of the fold: line- 51Ato thereby separate this extended portion i331: from the bar 3lA-.

Onthe other side of the central. fold line All, the.- elements are mostrespects symmetrical with the elements; thus far described, and. thesame reference characters are. used. with the sufiix B in each instance.reinforcing the upper portion. of; the. handle 25 above the fingerreceiving opening 2d, a reinforcing flap: BBB" extends across. the upperedgeof the handle panel 25B and is connected. thereto along a fold line(ii-Br It will be noted in Fig... l.- of the drawings that the: riserpanels 28A and 219A are extended up.- wardly for a distance somewhatgreater than. the height of the riser panels 23B and 293,. and thisaffords clearance: for the flap can when it. is foldeddownwardly in theforming. operations as will hereinafter beldescribedl.

With. the; blank shown. in Fig; 4. of. the.- drawings, the successivegluing. and folding operations may be performed in substantially the.sequence shown comparatively by Figs. 4'. to 9; inclusive, of the.drawings, but; for. purposes of: clarity of disclosure, these foldingand gluing operations are shown; in considerable. detaili and: in manyinstances it may be desirable to perform at least certain of suchfolding and:v gluing operations concurrently rather than. in sequence asillustratediin. the aforesaid series of views. Thus, as the'firstoperation. insthe formation of the. carrier from the blank of t, glue isapplied to. glue areas 6-! on the inner faces of the'handle panels 25Aand: 253, these areas being the: ones: to which the securing panels 33A.and 33B are to be fastened. The first folding operation is thenperformed' by folding the separating" bars 3th; and 31B along the foldlines d'fiAi and 13 from the relationship shown in Fig. 4 to therelationship shown in Fig. 5. This locates the: upper portions of thesecuring panels 33A and 33B 1113 contact with the glue areas G-l on thehandle panel's A and 253, so. that these securing panels are in efiect'attachedto the. inner facesof the handle panels. It should be noted,however, that the For the purpose of separating bars; 3Zlnand: 3MB; aredisposed: against:

the-unglued surfaces: of the. extensions lZl-A and? tZ-ilBi so that.these separating bars will: befree in move; in the manner required inthe: final. use or erection of the carrier; After this folding;operation, glue is: applied to the handle panel's 25A. and 253 in glueareas (Sr-2 along the left hand edges. of the handle panels as viewed inFig. 5.. The: end panels 22A and 22B are then foldedalong the. foldlines 43A. and 433', respectively,. fromthe positions shown in Fig. 5 tothe positions shown: in Fig. 6. Th-is brings'the. upper extend.- ingportions of the riser panels. 29A and 293 into contact. with the glueareas G-2 so.- that these riser panels in their upper portions arevthereby secured; to the-respective handle panels.

When the blank has been folded to the: relationship shown. in Fig. 6,glue is. applied in glue areas (3-3. along the rightv hand marginalportions of the handle panels25A and 2513-, as shown inili ig". 5 of thedrawings. The riser panels 28A- and 29B'arethen. folded alongthe foldlines 45A and l-45A as applied to the riser panel 29A, and 45B and M53:as applied to the riser panel 293.. This. shifts. the riser panelsZQAand 293 from the. relationship shown in Fig. 6 to the relationship shownin Fig. '7, and the engagement of the. upper portions of these riserpanels with the. glue areas G4 serves-to: secure these riser panels in aface to face relationship with respect to the related hand-1e panels;

Glue isthen. applied tothe handle panel 25B in the glue area (3-4 asshown. in Fig. '2, this area being. along, what may be. termed the upperportion of this handle panel, and between the reinforcing flap 6!]- andthe adjacent. ends of the two riser panels. Thereinforcing flap fit isthen fielded along the fold line EIB from the position shown in. Fig. '7to the position shown in Fig. 8, sons to thereby be secured by the gluearea 6-4.

The blank. as: shown in Fig. 8v is. then in. condition for the finalfolding and gluing operation, and. in preparation for this operation,glue is. applied. to the exposed facesof the riser panels 221% and 2.93in glue. areas G-E that extend throughout. the entire vertical length ofthese panels. Glue is also applied to the exposed face of thereinforcing flap Ell as at (3-6 in Fig. 8, and is applied to the exposedface of the securing panel 333 and to. the downward angular extensionthereof, as at 6-1. The blank is then folded along the central fold line49 from the relationship shown in Fig. 8 to the relationship shown inFig. 9., so that the riser panels 28A and 23B are glued together andaiTord a pivotal connection between the adjacent end panels 22A and 22B.In this same. folding operation the riser panel's 29A and 28B aresecured together so that the lower portions thereof afford a pivotalconnectionbetween the end panels 23A and 233 which the upper portionserve to connect or join the" vertical marginal edges of the handlepanels together. Moreover, in this folding operation, the two panels 33Aand 33B are brought into a face to face relation as will be evident inFig. 13, and the'gl-ue areas G4)" and G-l serve to secure these panelstogether. It will be observed in Fig. 13 that the securing panels 33Aand 33B are not only glued to each other, but are disposed between thehandle panels 2 5A and 253' towhich they are secured by reason of theglue areas 6-! with which these panels 33A and 33B: are engaged:

The carrier 2E in. the folding operation that has just beendescribed iscompleted in the col.-

lapsed form shown in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings, and the carrier isnormally shipped and stored in this collapsed form. When the carrier isto be erected, opposing forces are applied to the side wall 2 13 at theleft hand end thereof as viewed in Fig. 9 and to the right hand edge ofthe end wall 23B. This causes the carrier to move toward therelationship shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and when this movement has beencontinued until the center line of the handle is aligned with the centerline of the side walls, the carrier will assume the fully erectedrelationship shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings.

In this fully erected condition, the carrier of the present inventionmay be disposed in the conventional cases used in the bottle industry,and the bottle loading operations may be performed readily and easily,and conventional case loading machinery may be used if desired.

In the alternative embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 14 and 15,it is possible to eliminate the gluing and folding operation whichinvolves the glue areas G-! and the panels 33A and 33B of the previouslydescribed embodiment, and in many instances this may be considered to bedesirable even though the erecting operation of the carton is somewhatmodified. Thus the carrier of Fig. 15 is formed from a blank that isfragmentally illustrated in Fig. 14 of the drawings. This blank is inmost respects similar to the blank of Fig. 4, and the same referencecharacters with the prefix 2 have, therefore, been employed where theelements do in fact correspond. In the blank of Fig. 14, the panel 33Ais eliminated and the slit 56A is eliminated, and a connecting strip2170A is thus extended from the fold line 251A along and above the slit255A and to the riser panel 228A. The upper edge 2'HA of the strip 270Ais parallel to the slit 255A, and the strip 218A is connected along avertical fold line 244A to the riser panel 228A.

Thus in the folding and gluing of the blank the first operation is thefolding of the end panels 222A and 22213 along the fold lines 243A and2433, to fix the risers 228A and 22813 to the handle sections in themanner hereinbefore described, and this effectually connects the strips210A and 210B to the handle section. The succeeding operations are thesame as hereinbefore described. In the erecting operation it will beapparent that the strips 2183A and 21GB must be maintained in planesparallel to the handle sections in order to assure proper location ofthe separating bars ZSIA and 23B, but this may readily be accomplishedby grasping carrier with the thumb and forefinger in engagement withthese straps, and in other respects the erecting operation is performedas hereinbefore described.

In Fig. 13A of the drawings another alternative construction isdisclosed wherein additional advantageous results are attained. In thisembodiment of the invention most of the elements are the same as in thestructure shown in Figs. 1 to 13, and corresponding reference characterswith the prefix 3 are therefore employed as to such elements. In thisembodiment, the upper edges 38 IB and 38228 of the ends panels 32213 and3233 and 382B of the end panels 32213 and 3233 are formed with a greaterslope, and a correspondingly increased slope is afforded on the otherend panels, and with this arrangement the upper edges of the end panelsmeet the riser panels, as 328B and 329B at points that are above theline or edge as 3513 that defines the lower edges of the handle panels.With respect to the riser panels 32813 and 328A, this imparts a great-1y increased assurance against tearing of such riser panels, since theadjacent lower corner of the handle panels engages and reenforces theseriser panels at their points of juncture with the upper edges of theadjacent end panels. As shown in Fig. 16, the riser panels are somewhatshorter, as indicated at 3833, and by thi arrangement economy ofmaterial may be effected when this is desired.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention enables a preformed collapsible bottle carrier to be made fromcardboard and like materials in a simple and economical manner, and thebottle carrier of the present invention is of such a character that itis rugged in its structural characteri tics despite the simplicity ofits form. It will also be evident that the present bottle carriereliminates the necessity for angular bottle separating webs and for theuse of a two-piece construction in attaining horizontally extendingbottle separating webs. Another desirable characteristic that isattained in the present bottle carrier through structure of a simplecharacter is the provision of a complete enclosure of the bottles, itbeing noted that the present carrier has end walls that extend entirelyto the bottoms of the bottles.

Under and in accordance with the present invention, the bottle carriersattain the desired weight transmitting action only through structuralelements that are of unusual cross section or size, and this is attainedin a simple manner which does not objectionally add to the cost of thecarrier.

Thus while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments ofmy invention, it is to be understood that they are capable of variationand modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to theprecise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changesand alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier made from cardboard orlike material, a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined. at their loweredges along fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottompanels, two pairs of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said sidewalls and pivotally connected to the end gether in face to face relationto afford pivotal connected to the other edges of said end panels, theriser panels at each end being secured togther in face to face relationto afford pivotal connections between the end panels at the respectiveends of the carrier, a pair of handle panels disposed on opposite sidefaces of the riser panels and rigidly secured to said riser panels andto each other to afford a weight transmitting connection between saidhandle panels and'said end panels, said side walls having upwardextensions formed thereon throughout the middle onethird thereof,separating bars pivoted to opposite end edges of said upward extensions,said separating bars extending in parallel relation to points locatedbelow the one-third points of said handle panels, and extensions fixedlyconnected to said handle panels and affording vertical edges located atthe one-third points along and below the lower edge of said handlepanels, said extensions being connected along vertical fold havingupward lines at said vertical edges to the other ends of said separatingbars.

2. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier made from cardboard orlike material, a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined at their lower edgesalong fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottom panels, twopairs of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said side walls andpivotally connected to the end edges of such side walls, riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of the respective end panels, thetwo riser panels at each end being secured together in face to facerelation and projecting inwardly from their end panels to afiord pivotalconnections between the end panels at the respective ends of thecarrier, a pair of handle panels disposed on opposite side faces of theriser panels and rigidly secured to said riser panels and to each otherto afford a weight transmitting connection through said riser panelsbetween said handle panels and said end panels, said side walls havingupward extensions formed thereon throughout the middle one-thirdthereof, separating bars pivoted to opposite end edges of said upwardextensions, said separating bars extending in parallel relation topoints located below the one-third points of said handle panels, anddownward extensions rigidly related to said handle panels and disposedbelow the lower edge of said handle panels, said downward extensionsbeing connected along vertical fold lines to the other ends of saidseparating bars.

3. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier made from a unitary blankof cardboard or like material creased, folded and secured together toprovide a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined at their lower edgesalong fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottom panels, twopairs of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said'side walls andpivotally connected to the end edges of such side walls, riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of said end panels, the riserpanels at each end being secured together in face to face relation toafford pivotal connections between the end panels at the respective endsof the carrier, a pair of handle panels disposed on opposite side facesof the riser panels and rigidly secured to said riser panels and to eachother to afford a weight transmitting connection between said handlepanels and said end panels, said side walls extensions formed thereonthroughout the middle one-third thereof, separating bars pivoted toopposite end edges of said upward extensions, said separating barsextending in parallel relation to points located below the one-thirdpoints of said handle panels, and means fixedly related to said handlepanels and connected along vertical fold lines to the other ends of saidseparating bars at points. disposed below the lower edge of said handlepanels.

4. In a pre-iormed collapsible bottle carrier made from cardboard orlike material, a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined at their lower edgesalong fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottom panels, twopairs. of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said side walls andpivotally connected to the end edges of such side walls, riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of said endpanels and extendedinwardly therefrom, the riser panels at each end being secured togetherin face It) to face relation to afford pivotal connections between theend panels at the respective ends of the carrier, a pair of handlepanels disposed on opposite side faces of the riser panels and rigidlysecured to said riser panels and to each other to afiord a weighttransmitting connection between said handle panels and said end panels,said side walls having upward extensions formed thereon affordingvertical securing edges disposed above and at the one-third points alongthe upper edges thereof, separating bars pivoted along .iold lines onsaid vertical edges of said upward extensions, said separating barsextending in parallel relation to points located below the one-thirdpoints of said handle panels, and extensions iiixedly related to saidhandle panels and pivotally connected along vertical fold lines to theother ends of said separating bars at the one-third points along saidhandle panels.

5. In a pre-forrned collapsible bottle carrier, a pair of rectangularbottom panels foldably connected to each other along a central foldline, side walls connected at their lower edges along their fold linesto the other edges of the respective bottom panels, a pair of end panelsat one end of said carrier pivoted along vertical fold lines to theadjacent-ends of said side walls, riser panels pivotally connected alongthe other edges of the respective end panels and extended for asubstantial distance beyond the upper edges of said end panels, saidriser panels being extended inwardly in face to face relation and beingsecured together to pivotally connect said end panels, a second pair ofend panels pivotally connected along vertical fold lines to the otherend edges of the respective side walls, a second pair of riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of the respective end panels andbeing extended inwardly and secured togather in face to face relation,said second pair of riser panels extending upwardly for a substantialdistance above the upper edge of said second pair of end panels, a pairof handle panels pivotally connected along fold lines to the upwardlyextending portions of said second pair of riser panels and beingdisposed against and secured to the upwardly extending portions of saidsecond pair of riser panels, said handle panels at their other endsbeing disposed against opposite faces of the first mentioned pair ofriser panels and being secured thereto, said side walls having upwardextensions in the middle onethird thereof, a pair of separating barspivotally connected to and extended horizontally from the end edges ofthe respective extensions at one end thereof, said separating barshaving securing panels at the other ends thereof pivoted thereto alongvertical lines and extended upwardly between and secured to said handlepanels, a second pair of separating bars pivotally connected alongvertical fold lines to the other end edges of the respective upwardextensions, and integral downward extensions formed on said handlepanels and pivotally connected along vertical fold lines to the otherends of the second pair of separating bars.

6. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier, a pair of rectangularbottom panels foldably connected to each other along a central foldline, side walls connected at their lower edges along their fold linesto the other edges of the respective bottom panels, a pair of end panelsat one end of said carrier pivoted along vertical fold lines to theadjacent ends of said side walls, riser panels pivotally connected alongthe other edges of the respective end panels and extended for asubstantial distance beyond the upper edges of said end panels, saidriser panels being extended inwardly in face to face relation and beingsecured together to pivotally connect said end panels, a second pair ofend panels pivotally connected along vertical fold lines to the otherend edges of the respective side walls, a second pair of riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of the respective end panels andbeing extended inwardly and secured together in face to face relation,said second pair of riser panels extending upwardly for a substanialdistance above the upper edge of said second pair of end panels, a pairof handle panels pivotally connected along fold lines to the upwardlyextending portions of said second pair of riser panels and beingdisposed against and secured to the upwardly extending portions of saidsecond pair of riser panels, said handle panels at their other endsbeing disposed against opposite faces of the first mentioned pair ofriser panels and being secured thereto, said side walls having upwardextensions afiording vertical end edges disposed at the one-third pointsalong said side walls, a pair of separating bars pivotally connected toand extended horizontally from said vertical end edges of the respectiveextensions at one of the one-third points, said separating bars havingsecuring panels at the other ends thereof pivoted thereto along verticalfold lines and extended upwardly between and secured to said handlepanels, a second pair of separating bars pivotally connected alongvertical fold lines to the other vertical end edges of the respectiveupward extensions, and integral downward extensions formed on saidhandle panels and pivotally connected along vertical fold lines to theother ends of the second pair of separating bars.

'7. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier made from cardboard orlike material, a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined at their lower edgesalong fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottom panels, twopairs of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said side walls andpivotally connected to the end edges of such side walls, riser panelspivotally connected tothe other edges of the respective end panels, thetwo riser panels at each end being secured together in face to facerelation and projecting inwardly from their end panels to afford pivotalconnections between the end panels at the respective ends of thecarrier, said riser panels having integral upper portions extendedsubstantially above the upper edges of said end panels, a pair of handlepanels disposed on opposite side faces of the upper portions of theriser panels and rigidly secured to said riser panels and to each otherto afford a weight transmitting connection through said riser panelsbetween said handle panels and said end panels, said side walls havingupward extensions formed thereon affording vertical edges disposed atthe one-third points along said side walls, separating bars pivoted tosaid vertical edges of said upward extensions, said separating barsextending in parallel relation to points located below the one-thirdpoints of said handle panels, and downward extensions in fixed relationto said handle panels and affording vertical pivot lines disposed belowthe lower edge of said handle panels, said downward extensions beingconnected at said pivot lines along vertical fold lines to the otherends of said separating bars.

8. In a pre-formed collapsible bottle carrier made from cardboard orlike material, a pair of bottom panels joined together along a centrallongitudinal fold line, a pair of side walls joined at their lower edgesalong fold lines to the other edges of the respective bottom panels, twopairs of end panels disposed at opposite ends of said side walls andpivotally connected to the end edges of such side walls, riser panelspivotally connected to the other edges of said end panels, the riserpanels at each end being secured together in face to face relation toafford pivotal connections between the end panels at the respective endsof the carrier, a pair of handle panels disposed on opposite side facesof the riser panels and rigidly securedto said riser panels and to eachother to afford a weight transmitting connection between said handlepanels and said end panels, said end walls having angular and upwardlysloping upper edges terminating at one end of said carrier at pointsabove the lower edges of said handle panels, said side walls havingupward extensions formed thereon throughout the middle one-thirdthereof, separating bars pivoted to opposite end edges of said upwardextensions, said separating bars extending in parallel relation topoints located below the one-third points of said handle panels, andextensions fixedly connected to said handle panels and affordingvertical edges located at the one-third points along and below the loweredge of said handle panels, said extensions being connected alongvertical fold lines at said vertical edges to the other ends of saidseparating bars.

9. A one-piece open-topped compartmented bottle carrier formed fromcardboard or like material and comprising, when erected, bottom and sidewalls, center and cross partitions, and end walls each comprised oftwopanels interconnected at their inner ends along vertically disposedfold lines, the end and side walls and the partitions defining sixcompartments disposed in two rows of three each, portions of the centerpartition being formed by inwardly disposed extensions of the panels atopposite ends of the carrier, an upward extension on the top edge ofeach side wall extending the width of the adjacent center compartmentand projecting upwardly beyond the level of the top edge of the sidewalls of each of the adjacent end compartments, and webs integral withsaid extensions and respectively joined to the ends thereof alongvertically disposed fold lines and extended inwardly of the carrier andforming the cross partitions, and other webs integrally joined to theinner ends of the first named webs and forming part of the centerpartition and secured thereto and effective to retain the first namedwebs in position to afford the cross partitions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,163,290 Powell June 20, 1939 2,322,396 Slevin 2. June 22,1943 2,354,528 Lowey et a1. July 25, 1944 2,371,471 Rothstein Mar. 13,1945 2,418,350 Holy Apr. 1, 1947 2,458,281 Lupton Jan. 4, 1949 2,537,615Arneson Jan. 9, 1951

